Arthraxon hispidus, Family Poaceae, also known as Hairy-joint Grass, is a slender tufted creeping grass that roots at the nodes, with erect to semi-erect stems. The leaves are reddish to purplish, with long white hairs around the edge, broad at the base and tapering abruptly to a sharp point. Flowers appear in March to July and summer to autumn. The fruit is a caryopsis (simple, dry single seeded fruit, with seed fused to the wall of the fruit and remaining closed at maturity). The seed-heads are held above the plant on a long fine stalk. This species was once considered an annual, but is now thought to be a perennial that tends to die down in winter.
Hairy-joint Grass |
Arthraxon hispidus
Status: Vulnerable on the EPBC Act list
Government evidence of impact of climate change:
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Australian Government, Conservation Advice, Arthraxon hispidus
Threats The main identified threats to Hairy joint Grass are trampling by stock (Queensland Herbarium; 2008) clearing for agriculture (Leigh et al.; 1984) and development inappropriate fire regimes over grazing by domestic stock competition from introduced grasses; such as Paspalum (Paspalum dilatatum) and Kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) and slashing or mowing of habitat (DECC NSW; 2005).